A mother surely experiences a rite of passage as she births her baby from womb to world. She journeys from womanhood to motherhood, and her life is altered in the most incredible ways. So too the journey for a father, who holds the honored space of Witness. Along the passage from manhood to fatherhood, there is little action a man can take. There is nothing to fix. There is little to fetch. But there is plenty for him to do: Watching, waiting, witnessing the mother of his child, a father’s awe and encouragement for the birthing woman fortifies the sacred space where his child enters the world. … [Read more...]

Happy Monday, beloveds. I hope you’re still basking in the glow of Mother’s Day. Make yourself a cup of tea, let the cool breeze dance through your window, and enjoy this truly lyrical story of the day a woman gave herself over to the rite of passage of becoming a mother. I love the way my friend and mentor Baraka has with words, and the way she tells the story of her natural, nearly unassisted homebirth is sweet indeed. Tomorrow, her husband, Todd, will share his recollection of the day their daughter, Akasha, arrived Earthside. —xoxox jenni
The First Letter I Wrote to My … [Read more...]